A LOOK BACK TO DADDY’S GOATS is a tribute from Daddy’s girl (me) to my Dad Arlie Lott. You can see who I was named after and miss this man who shared so much of my childhood with hunting and fishing. We rode the country side together and if he had his head under the hood of his 1949 truck, my head was under there too. I treasure those times and I found this post from several years ago. I hope you enjoy the humor in it because that was something my Dad and I shared too.
One of the cutest goats on the Lott Family “Farm”. Photo courtesy of the Lotts, Blake, Cody and Katie, and Mark and Sheila Lott
Here is the post featuring my attempt at writing a song (you can see I was smart enough to stick with blogging. A little update, I finished the second book and started on the third book. (UPDATE: This is a previous blog from several years ago and I am happy to say I published my third book in 2019).
My family with my brothers Joe and Carlton, my sister Juanelle, My Dad, Arlie Lott, and my Mom, Beatrice Holt Lott.
TODAY THE WORDS are DADDY’S GOATS. Usually,from the stories I post which encompass the animals, I get a lot of response. This one may give you a little laugh or smile. Many of you will know who I am talking about when I mention Peggy Mercer, a classmate of mine, author of several children’s books and songwriter encouraged me to try my hand at song writing. I assured her she might want me to stick to writing on the blog and on the book, but many of you know how persistent Peggy is so here is the first verse and chorus of my “song” DADDY’S GOATS. The beauty of the story is such a good one for all of us to learn from the goats. They knew how to keep life simple. They had goals and if something happened to upset their completion of those goals (climbing up and going down) they got up and tried again. I miss my Daddy since he died and I miss those special times when we would go out and visit with his animals and what I would give to go fishing with him one more time. When this song writing fiasco happened years ago, I emailed my song to Peggy and once she stops laughing at my amateur attempts at song writing; she will probably tell me to get up and try again LOL. (Side note: As of July 2015, I have received no offers for song writing contracts so I leave all of that to my friends, especially Michael Rey – Country Songwriter; Lily Nelson; and Peggy Mercer but on a good note, I have published my first novel, “A Mistress, A Wife” and now writing my second one, “Tell Me Lies; Love Me Still”.)
The moral of this story is we may not be good at everything, but it never hurts to try. We may have to try several times to get it right, but we need to keep trying. God allows us, by forgiveness, to try and try again to get our lives and souls right. I hope you smile when you read Daddy’s goats. Live life; love life and live life to the fullest!
Goats playing as they know how to really have fun. Photo on Google
Verse 1
My mind goes back to a better time
When life was simple and people were kind
I would visit on My Dad’s country place.
The farm; my Dad; and his goats in a line,
Laughing and loving, all the love we could find.
Chorus:
Love was simple way back then
Nobody was mad; everybody was glad
Dad loved his goats and he loved us.
They loved him back like the rest of us.
He was simple in love; he was simple in life.
If life could be free as Daddy with his goats. (written by Arline Lott Miller)
Some city folks are returning to the “farm” by including some fun loving goats. Photos courtesy of the Lott family.I think these young ladies have a little country blood in them and the animals love it. Photo courtesy of the Lott family.
FEATURED BIBLE VERSE:
Galatians 6:9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.Â
(c) copyright 2012-2021 Arline Lott Miller. The material here copyrighted, use only by permission. Third party material, if source is known, is credited to original location for credit references.
No blog message on the HOLIDAY Scents would be complete without the scents of mountain air and beautiful leaves with their awesome display of color. This photo was from our wondrous changing of the leaves vacation.
Pumpkin flavored everything seems to be in all ads, coffee, shakes, lattes, cookies, pies, tarts and breads bring the strong allspice and cinnamon flavors. Answer me this…..As I listed these tasty and fragrant delights, did your smell sense rise especially when I mentioned cinnamon? Let’s go on a little memory trip and visit the gingerbread land.
When I was young and always ready for something Momma had baked; I looked forward to her tea cakes, her pound cakes (which we would always catch her out of the kitchen and jump up and down to cause it to fall; bless Momma’s heart it was years before she realized her cakes would have been beautiful if we hadn’t sabotaged her efforts to have it taste better), but I remember her gingerbread best of all. I could smell the fragrant aroma of the gingerbread loaf before I made it home from school. Walking up to our house, I could smell it’s wonderful smell and I was so excited. I am speaking from my heart but this was a unanimous contention for all of my siblings. It was a wonderful and joyous moment and now a great memory of those spices and more importantly, the love shown by our Mom.
We, as humans, are susceptible to smells as much as taste. We are usually expressive either pro or con about smells and aromas. Fall presents strong aromas and seemingly tied to family gatherings and holidays. This brings me to my focus for this message.
The Health Benefits of Pumpkin Spice
Tis the season … for pumpkin spice, that is. This seasonal spice blend might have its naysayers who believe that the pumpkin spice love has gotten a little out of control, but to them, we say: bring it on. Even Trader Joe’s is embracing pumpkin spice mania — or, as they put it, “Pumpkintopia”.
If you don’t know what pumpkin spice is, we have to say, you are missing out. Contrary to the name, it doesn’t contain any actual pumpkin, but the warming blend of spices pairs oh-so-well with pumpkin pie and the famous concoction that has stolen our hearts over the years: the pumpkin spice latte. Unfortunately, the most mainstream example of our beloved latte, the Starbucks PSL, is not and cannot be made vegan, but worry not — it’s easy to make your own vegan pumpkin spice latte at home.
Bonus: this homemade version comes with some health benefits. Let’s break down the reasons why.
Ahh, pumpkin spice … A warming symphony of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Cinnamon has been shown to have antibacterial and antifungal properties. Studies have also suggested that it may have anti-inflammatory properties.
Ginger boasts a variety of health benefits, such as combating stomach ailments, reducing inflammation, reducing headache pain, aiding in digestion, and increasing metabolism.
Nutmeg is rich in manganese, which helps regulate blood sugar, absorb calcium, metabolize carbs, and helps form tissues and bones.
Allspice, also known as pimento, is rich in antioxidants, has anti-inflammatory properties, may help improve blood circulation and more.
Cloves are a rich source of manganese and an active component called eugenol, which functions as an anti-inflammatory substance. It has also been the subject of studies on the prevention of toxicity from environmental pollutants like carbon tetrachloride, digestive tract cancers, and joint inflammation.
Make Your Own Pumpkin Spice Blend at Home Ready to make your own pumpkin spice blend? First, make sure you have your supplies. You’ll need an empty bottle (save the bottles from spices you use up just for moments like this) and a kitchen funnel. You could also make your own kitchen funnel by cutting a sheet of printer paper in half diagonally, shaping it into a cone, and taping it.
Then, combine 1/2 cup ground cinnamon, 2 tablespoons ground ginger, 1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground allspice, and 1 teaspoon ground cloves.
Now, you’re ready to use your homemade blend in homemade pumpkin spice lattes and more! Here are a few of our favorite recipes, courtesy of the Food Monster App:
Pumpkin Spice Latte With Homemade Pumpkin Seed Milk This dairy-free version of the ever-popular Pumpkin Spice Latte by Courtney West is made using homemade pumpkin seed milk! The latte is a concoction of the pumpkin seed milk, pumpkin spiced maple simple syrup and cold brew concentrate. Though this may seem a little involved for a coffee drink, the recipe will make enough for about four drinks, so you can keep sipping on PSLs all week long
I thought I would share my own Pumpkin Pie Recipe which I created over the years, but it is a winning combination of just enough spices and sweetness to satisfy any pumpkin pie lover.
Yummy, yummy to the tummy Pumpkin Pies
Now for the deeper thought……As our senses tell us what aroma is filling the air; we need to be as conscious of who and what is filling our lives. We need to “sniff”our home environment and smell out what children are hearing and watching.
We need to appreciate the warm, comforting times we spend with our family and friends. We can seek out God more and take time to thank Him for all the sweet blessings and treats of life. We want to cherish the good taste of life while we smell the cinnamon aroma of living and loving life.
FEATURED BIBLE VERSE: Proverbs 15:17 ESV Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.
(C) Copyright 2012-2021 Arline Miller with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material is sourced to original location/author if known for credit reference.
Buddy, the tan Chihuahua, who came into our lives and went out as fast as he came in. He left an impression that will stay forever in our hearts. No one knows where Buddy came from and no one is sure what his given name was in his previous life. Buddy, however left his paw print on every heart he met while he was on the road.
One morning I happened to see a post in our subdivision about a small dog loose in our neighborhood. There were many sightings of the illusive Chihuahua here and there and a few pictures and it seemed no one could catch this charming but skittish wanderer. He didn’t look like he had been on nature’s environment very long but once the sightings were confirmed from several weeks, it became important to ensure his safety from traffic and other risks.
One of the residents noticed he would follow another dog, so they enticed him into a back yard using another neighbor’s dog. It took some time to get him to enter their home and it was a little scary to see how Buddy, his new name, would interact with her two dogs, a gorgeous golden retriever and a black and white beautiful Papillion. He seemed to be more comfortable with the dogs so wherever he came from, there were other dogs.
Jessica, the lady of the house and Buddy’s rescuer, fell in love with him immediately and I agree he was a charmer even though he was hesitant, even resistant with human approach. Being patient with him, Buddy decided to start following her around the house. Over the next few days while they posted and called trying to find his real owner, Buddy became conservatively comfortable.
Jessica’s husband felt they had enough dogs already and decided they could not keep three dogs and felt they had no choice but to send Buddy to a no kill shelter who came recommended by a pet caretaker service. Jessica’s heart broke and apparently, Buddy’s heart was broken too. He had chosen Jessica as his new owner and couldn’t understand why he had to leave. Here is how we came into the picture.
I had been following Buddy’s story and was elated when I saw that a neighbor had taken Buddy into their home. My heart jumped with joy being a dog lover myself. I sighed a big breath of relief as it was frightening knowing that little fur baby was wandering the streets. I was happy and was hoping Buddy’s owners would see the announcement and come for him. If they didn’t, he was in a good home. Then I saw the post they were planning on taking Buddy to a shelter and my heart screamed, “We will take him in, and Buster can have a “buddy” to play with.
Buster is our Papillion mix and is black with a white chest patch. He was a rescued puppy and we had to work with him on social skills so we hoped he would accept Buddy without incident since Buddy was skittish. We were excited and apprehensive at the same time but was determined no shelter for Buddy. We were experienced in rescue dogs since all our dogs have been rescued and those precious dogs are another set of stories themselves but for another time.
We thought Buster should have a “Buddy” . Here is Buster with Greg doing what he loves to do, Ride!Buster tried to be a buddy to Buddy, but Buddy wasn’t having it.
We made the contact with our neighbors who had Buddy and I should have picked up on a hint since they hesitated and took a very long time to bring our new bundle of joy. We waited and waited and then Greg, my husband called them. They were coming in their golf cart with Buddy.
As they drove up, she had a tight hold on Buddy and of course he looked frightened but he didn’t try to jump out of my arms and allowed me to put the collar and leash on him and rub him while Jessica cried and made me promise that if it didn’t work out, she wanted me to call her. I agreed but felt we would spoil Buddy and would have no problems. Little did I know what we were getting into and the dilemma we would face.
Buddy ate that night and he and Buster even played together. We watched Buster not even bark at Buddy. My husband and I thought it was wonderful to see them bonding as this was the biggest threat or at least that is what we thought. Wrong!
I am not sure if Buddy looked at me as the enemy and the thief who stole him out of his owner’s arms, but I have never had any dog, even aggressive tagged dogs, to resist my loving. Buddy would look at me with almost humanistic eyes with questioning why I had done such a vile thing. I had dealt with dog’s nature all my life and thought with a little time, Buddy would come to love me. For some reason, he followed Greg around and I thought that was good and a step forward. Buddy slept all night and we looked forward to the next day.
We have a doggie door and Buddy had either used one before or he is just extremely smart. The first evening and the next morning both he and Buster went out with Greg and me. We watched both dogs play and romp and chase each other. I saw several submissive plays by each one and was elated. We felt we had a new baby and Buster’s BFF. Oh, how we were deceived by this escape artist.
After feeling contented they were playing together as if they had known each other for a while, I went back in the house to finish getting dressed and to make some business calls. For some reason, I thought the dogs came back in the house when Greg came in and announced he was going to get a collar and name tag with our info. We planned on taking Buddy to the vet clinic to check for a chip when we realized he hadn’t had the scan for a chip. As much as we were excited about having him, it was only fair we check as we would want someone to check Buster in case he got out and became lost.
To be clear, these events happened in a few minutes that I will explain. I walked into the living room and saw Buster come in the doggie door. It had already been established the night before that Buster would come in first and Buddy would follow. I waited a few seconds and didn’t see Buddy’s head pop through the door. I looked out in the yard and I didn’t see him. Jessica had explained he sat in the corner until he felt comfortable. I called Greg on his cell and asked if the dogs had come in with him. Apparently, they did come in but had gone back out, but Greg thought they were in the house.
My search began with looking in each room, under each bed, and in closets. I started to panic and called Greg back. He assured me that it was okay, and he was probably hiding. I went back to the yard and tried to see if I could tell if he had escaped. I didn’t see the small hole behind a hose hung on the fence or I would have panicked earlier than I did.
Greg came back and checked and found the hole, so the neighborhood search was on. Greg and I took turns manning the vehicle with Buster riding shot gun. We searched and searched with each round through the neighborhood causing our hopes to sink. We received a call from Jessica, Buddy had returned to their home and dug under the fence. That should have been our sign, but we went and brought Buddy back home. Buster was happy and even Buddy looked happy. Did we have a surprise coming?
The next morning, with everything seemingly going smoothly, our new little pair of fur babies, went out the doggie door, playing together, and frolicking. Greg asked where Buster and Buddy were. He went out the back door and at that very moment spotted Buddy had dug a new hole and after taking one last goodbye look at Greg, darted under the fence and vanished. Greg walked back as I was coming out the door, said “Honey, Buddy is not our dog and he has made up his mind who his owner is and it’s not us.”
All I could think is Buddy was out again and the fear of him getting hurt was bearing on my mind. The search began again, and Buster couldn’t figure out why his new friend kept leaving. Well, it became clear to Greg and to Buster when they found Buddy on the porch at Jessica’s home. The Buddy Adventure was over. He had claimed his new home and Jessica and her husband had a new owner. At first, we, including Buster, were sad and a little disappointed and then we thought about it. When an animal chooses a human, that will is so much stronger than when we humans choose a dog to be ours.
Buster with Duchess playing keep away/tug.
I am happy to say Buster is doing great with his new “sister” Duchess and from all accounts Buddy is safe at his home with his chosen family.
Written by Arline Miller
May 7, 2020
As a writer, I found this writing about Buddy and felt at this time of thankfulness I would share it. Life never plays out like we expect and even if our intentions are good, some plans go awry. Buddy’s happy and we are blessed with Duchess who is Buster’s side kick. All is well with us!
(C) Copyright 2012-2021 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material is sourced to original location and author if known for credit references.
WHO WILL INCLUDE ME IN THEIR THANKS? First, allow me to say Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Americans and anyone in this world can give thanks any day, so feel free to use this day as a way to feel gratitude for the good things in our lives. This morning, when I was praying and giving thanks for so many blessings in our lives, a thought ran through my mind. “Who will include my name when they are going over their list of what and who they are thankful in their lives?” Of course, this message rang through as a topic on my blog for us to ponder.
I am including a poem I recently wrote and it reflects a little on what impact our lives make and the most important reason for us to be thankful when we realize we have a Higher Power to guide us and protect us. Here it is:
Maybe I am in a deep probing mode, but it seems important we concentrate on what impact and how much good we can do for others to fill voids, add love, give charity, and feel compassion. One of the biggest goals we could set for ourselves is to give until others feel our love. Let us concentrate of being someone who, on a day like today or any other day, they say, “I am thankful for you.”
I found excellent points from an article and wanted to share with you. You can view the entire article by clicking on the link provided:
Focus on your own growth. You have to be committed to on your own personal development. Ask yourself truthfully if you are really committed to your own personal growth. If you are, keep at at and develop yourself every day. If you are not, you should start committing yourself to your own growth. Read, learn, get trained, take risks… do things that helps you grow in wisdom, knowledge, understanding, relationship with people, the result you command etc
Offer More Value There is no way people will know you as a person of value if you are not offering more value. You can’t say you are a medical doctor but you have never assisted anyone medically. Start offering the little value you have. By that, you grow more and in value. The more value you offer, the more you become a person of value. Offer more value daily.
Sharpen Your Skills Do you have skills? If you say you don’t then you need to check yourself. There is no human being without a skill. You need to discover your skill. After which you need to sharpen that skill. The only way to sharpen that skill is to put it into practice, Put in into practice by using it as a point of value to other people. Skills are valuable.
Work Harder on Yourself Always strive to be better than you were yesterday. You need to go to work on yourself. If you change, everything will change for you. You may change companies, you might change tactics, strategies or mentors but YOU are always the constant, and you will still be there. Strive to become a better person, and instead of comparing yourself with others, differentiate. The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.
Value your Time There is nothing more valuable than time invested wisely and intentionally. You can sow your time and get anything you want. You can sow your time and increase your circle of influence, make more money, or increase your health. Never waste this precious gift. Learn to see the value of time, because with time, anything can be accomplished.
May your blessings be many and your ability to bless others with your gifts and/or talents is my prayer for Thanksgiving! Wishing each and every day an opportunity for us to share our blessings with others……….HAPPY THANKSGIVING from Arline L Miller, author and blogger.
(c) Copyright 2012-2021 Arline Miller with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material is sourced to original location for reference credit.
I want to write this post mainly because Thanksgiving is coming soon. I give thanks on a daily basis, sometimes on an hourly basis but it seems that many people are struggling to feel thankful at a time when so much uncertainty is present in our world. Maybe, I look at everything in a positive way, I can find so much to be thankful for and I am not speaking monetarily.
Put politics aside and think about trusting in Our Higher Power to calm the storms and bring peace on earth. Can we be thankful we have a God who loves us and has given us so many things to be thankful. Each breath, each step, each smile, each laugh, and even each tear means we are alive. For all of us who read God’s word, only Heaven is spoken of as Paradise. Even though we have numerous places of beauty to be thankful for on earth, we look forward to seeing and living in the wonderment of eternal beauty and peace.
Photo courtesy of my facebook friend Betty and Dan Burkhalter.
Let’s look at some of life’s gifts for consideration of being thankful:
A quiet place to read, meditate, pray, or rest
A stream to sit and listen to the water soothingly making a bubbling sound.
A bed, whether it is small or large, soft or hard, to lay our head to sleep.
A roof over our head to keep us dry as rain or snow falls, and to keep us cool when it is hot and warm when it is cold.
A bathroom, or more than one, to allow us to have privacy when we need to release bodily waste.
A job, whether it is a medial or executive position where we can apply our intelligence, skills, and talents to pay our bills.
A community to be a part or the country or wilderness to choose whether we prefer to mingle or be alone.
A church to go to of our choice of faith to display our love of God and to ask for forgiveness when we seek the cleanliness of our redeemed souls.
I purposely left out the usual gifts we give thanks for and sometimes take for granted. Relationship with the person we love; family; friends; and our day to day associates are meant to give thanks and show respect. Do we give thanks for adversity, changes, disappointments, and wait for it…..failures?
Personally, in my life, the adversity, the changes, disappointments, and even failures have strengthened my inner strength, heightened my awareness that I am a WIP and am learning from each experience. Let me give thanks!
Do we give thanks for losses? I am sure you are shaking your head at this one. However, when we lose, we revisit our performance and seek ways we could have been better, right? This self evaluation can enhance future performances which can bring us closer to success. Let me give thanks!
Do we appreciate challenges or do we find ourselves wanting a coasting life? From my observation and research on many happy couples and successful business people, and even writers as myself, we welcome challenges and thrive on overcoming challenges. Let me give thanks!
As you can see from this post, we should give thanks for the “good, bad, and ugly” as God has designed life as a challenge, full of disappointments, and failures for us to become strong and attentive to the possibilities when we overcome those very things. God allows us to slip while keeping His Hand near to assist us but His Hands are not there to do all of the work. It is not that He can’t but how do we learn to be the best we can be.
If a parent never releases a child’s hand, they hold on and it takes longer for them to pull away. Yes, a child may fall while trying to walk, but when they see they can do it, the biggest smiles and the widest eyes appear as they see opportunity ahead. Let us give thanks for letting go!
(C) Copyright 2012-2021 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material, if source is known, is credited to original location including photos.
Once in a while I will reach into my vault of my blog posts and pull out one of my favs. This one has a sentimental pull since I love pearls. Recently, several events have tried to deny me my pearl but I keep hanging in there with the belief, Life is a strand of pearls and some of the ones to be added to my strand are struggling to mature to the maximum beauty. I should be patient as we have no control on the timing. Good things come to those who wait. Here is the post I love and I hope it has meaning for you too. This was prior to me moving the blog to WordPress and we are still building our audience.
TODAY THE WORDS are LIFE’S STRAND OF PEARLS.  In anticipation of reaching an important goal for the blog of 150,000 page views, I went back to my log of posts and found this one. I thought we might enjoy some pearly whites this morning. For most of you who know me, you already know how I love pearls. I have worn pearls and they have always given me such a warm feeling when I have them on. I will notice in photos of anyone that has a pearl necklace, earrings or brooch (for any youngsters that is a pin). What I would like to share is the thought behind pearls. A dear friend of mine has told me many times, “there’s your pearl” when something good happened. He would also say when he was giving me great advice, “here is a little pearl”. One day, when I was about to put one of my strands, I took a long look at it, realizing the importance of message it was portraying.  Let me share this with you. Pearls are grown in a hard shell (and really few of us look at an oyster shell as pretty like we look at other shells). It may take up to 20 or more years to bring a pearl to full size so a lot of time goes into the process. Pearls in their natural state aren’t the finished pearl we see in the strands as they are polished and by this process, it brings out their true luster. If you take the time and look closely, pearls are still unique and usually no two are exactly the same. As beautiful as pearls are, they can be beautiful with others or beautiful on their own. Pearls are usually a gift given by someone who loves them dearly. Â
PHOTO COURTESY OF depositphotos.com
Now for the deeper thought……have you thought about the clasp? As beautiful as the strand of pearls are, without the clasp to hold it all together, the pearls would fall to the ground It is the most important part of the necklace and here is how I see pearls. Pearls are our different stages of our life. When we are young, we are the pearls being nurtured in our shell surrounded by a hard protective cover (our parents). After a while, we are plucked into our adult lives. We can be successful on our own or part of a collection (company). We have strength and luster; but are fragile if not connected by a strong clasp (God). We can add other pearls (spouses, children, friends, and grandchildren) to our strand and people like to enjoy our pearls. God will hold our lives together and the clasp needs to be checked to make sure it closed securely (our faith). Next time you see a strand of pearls, take a deep look at it. God gives us the freedom to build a beautiful strand of pearls of life with all of its beauty and luster but He wants us to keep our pearls safe, protected and loved. Â
Photo courtesy of nationalgeographic.com
Blogger’s note: I had a thought this morning to add to this post. As times have changed and styles too, not as many people wear pearls. I wondered that even though change is sometimes good, have we taken a route of easy to acquire beads and metals as well as fast food, and disposable clothes (wear a few times and they become worn). My question is have we thrown away our quality of life with those clothes or when we carelessly throw the jewelry into a casual place that can be lost. Maybe we need to return to the days of pearls and vintage clothes that last forever, treasuring each inheritance instead of wanting the instant gratification, I want it now and I don’t care if it lasts. Just thinking out loud.
FEATURED BIBLE VERSE:
Matthew 13:45Â – Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls
Photo courtesy of jewelersmutual.com
(C) Copyright 2012-2021 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material is sourced to the original location/author if known for credit references.
It is about that time of year and I have purchased my ingredients to make a batch of these memory lane oatmeal cookies. These are incredible oatmeal cookies and I love my version with the addition of honey. If you make some, please comment as I would love to hear your results.
Today’s bounty with added cranberries, pecans, and of course, my honey addition.They went square today and I think I added a little more honey. Remember no more than 1/3 cup honey and cut the sugars in my notes.Such sweet memories while making them and I know Mom is smiling down from Heaven.
As the holidays come closer, memories of special moments come flooding in and as always a lot of them are engulfed with my Mom and I found this post about oatmeal cookies and to tell you how special this memory is, I haven’t made oatmeal cookies since she died except one time and it pinged my heart strings that I haven’t repeated it again. Some memories are that strong but one day, I will pick up some oats and make them for the grandchildren. I will start a new tradition that will make me smile when I see them enjoying them like Grandmama BeaBea did and I will share this story with them. You will probably understand the blog title more from reading this blog. MY ORIGINAL POST: Grandma’s Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
3 cups oats (we use Quaker Quick or Old Fashioned. Do NOT use instant.)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (use 1/2 cup if using raisins)
1 cup raisins (optional)
Method 1 Cream shortening and sugars, add eggs and vanilla and beat well. 2 Sift flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Add to first mixture and mix well. Add a tablespoon of water. Add raisins (if using) and nuts. Add oats last. 3 Spoon out by heaping tablespoonfuls on to greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350°F. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove to wire rack. Cool completely.
************************************************************* NOTE FROM ARLINE: My version is taking and cutting sugar by half of the brown and granulated sugar and replacing with honey. I never measure by use taste method but no more than a 1/4 cup unfiltered raw honey. Love this taste.
TODAY THE WORDS are OATMEAL COOKIES. We are going to go down memory lane for a visit to my dear Mother’s home before she passed away. As my Mother got older, she cooked and baked less, which is understandable. I began to bring her baked goodies when I would visit her. I started out with a variety of different desserts but it was soon narrowed down to my version of “Grandma’s Oatmeal Cookies”. They had honey in them and they are scrumptious to say the least. I would bring her a container full. She would always eat one as if testing them to make sure they were as good as the batch before. As I would watch her, I received more sweet enjoyment than the cookies’ sweetness. I could tell how much she loved them and she also loved I had made them for her. She had a certain spot the container would be placed when she had finished. Once in a while she would splurge and eat two, but never more than two. As sweet of a memory as this is to me, this is only part of the reason for the topic. Why the oatmeal cookie plays such an important part is not that the cookies were tasty, it was Momma’s rationing of the cookies that will reflect a life’s lesson. When I would call Momma for our regular Saturday morning talk which usually lasted about an hour and a half, one of the things Momma would share is how many cookies she still had and if my Sister had stopped by and had eaten some cookies. My Momma was a wonderful person and she would share whatever she had, but you had to be willing to be frugal with those goodies like she was. I would bring her fresh ones every time I would come so rationing was not necessary. It was built into my Momma to have a willing spirit of anticipation.
Now for the deeper thought…...If we would live our lives on Momma’s Oatmeal Cookie program, we could enjoy life a lot longer and better. I see many people who devour what they receive in a hurry never thinking if they are going to get hungry soon. We are a living, breathing example of why we should eat a reasonable amount of food and not overindulge. The same goes for the rest of lifestyles. some of them need to be lived (or tasted), We need to savor each day (or morsel). We need to appreciate the love and labor which went into each opportunity with a palette of life. We should exercise moderate portions of life and enjoy each bite (or experience) we are given and not feel as it we are on our last “cookie”. Live life, love life, and live life to the fullest!
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
(c) copyright 2012-2021 Arline Lott Miller. The material here copyrighted, use only by permission. Third party material is referenced to original location for reference credit.
TODAY THE WORDS are A TENT IN HEAVEN. Sometimes, early in the morning, usually around 4 am. a thought will wake me up as did yesterday morning. As soon as I get up, I try to write down the thoughts as there is a message which I find is enlightening for at least me and I hope some of you can relate. I wrote this post and it relates to my feelings of gratitude. There was a time in my life when I must have put too much credence to myself and my idea of roughing it was at a hotel which was not Five Star. I began life in a home with lots of love and not much money and as I grew up and started making more money; for some reason I began to expect certain niceties. As my life progressed and I saw the hurt which this kind of attitude brought and God allowed me a chance to appreciate the things which are important as faith in God; family; friends; honesty, integrity, and charity. I started looking at little things making such a difference. This prose is a reflection on my feelings and is from my heart to share with all of you. More than the promise of a mansion in Heaven; more than the streets of gold; more than silver and gold is the promise to be in the very presence of our God and loved ones for eternity. I hope you enjoy this message as I did in receiving it.
A Tent in Heaven
I would gladly give up my mansion on earth for a tent in Heaven. I am blessed and I have more than silver and gold. But when it is my time to leave I won’t need time to pack. I’ve been told what you come in this world is what you take. God will provide for me with His Goodness sake.
If before I die the mansions are completely filled in Heaven. I’ll take any old tent and joyously live my existence forth. I’ll be happy to live in any corner and lie in a sack. To live in the neighborhood in the light of Our Holy Lord My heart will sing and my soul will joyfully live.
I have been promised if I faithfully make it to Heaven The Lord has prepared me a wonderful eternal home. But my blessing would have been given when I was forgiven. I have received my gold and silver and don’t have to roam Over the streets of gold so a tent could be my heavenly home.
God you have provided me with a soul which wants to go to Heaven. I’ll be happy if I can sit on the floor at Your Heavenly throne. Dear God you can give those who had to mightily struggle. I will gladly see my loved ones in their beautiful mansions. If you fill the mansions before I come, a tent can be my eternal home.
Written by Arline Miller 09/17/2014
FEATURED BIBLE VERSE: King James Bible John 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
(C) copyright 2012-2021 Arline Lott Miller. The material here copyrighted, use only by permission. Third party material is sourced to original location/author if known for credit reference.
